Ellen Blum - Tips on Trips and Camps

Another snow day? Make it a CAMP DAY!

February 14, 2017 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

With the recent abundance of snow in the Northeast comes the frustrated Facebook posts from my friends; “ Cooped up again with the kids” and “Anyone have ideas of what to do now that school’s canceled…again?” Make it a camp day!

Start the day out with choices of cereal, cinnamon toast, pancakes and, of course, hot chocolate. Your winter camp day has begun.

Instead of automatically turning on the TV, take out some arts and crafts. If you have gimp or colored thread in the house you can make bracelets or key chains. (youtube is always available for a quick tutorial). Perhaps you could get a white pillowcase and decorate it for your camper to bring with them this summer.

What camp day is complete without songs? Take some time to choose themes and write funny, quirky songs to share. Don’t take it too seriously. Laughter is the best part.

If your child will be going to camp this summer, it is the perfect opportunity to organize a list of items he or she will be bringing with them or need to buy. Just thinking about camp in the winter is exciting.

Of course, the culmination of a great camp day is making smores. Here is a quick and easy recipe which will make your whole house smell like camp.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, melted 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup white sugar 3 cups miniature marshmallows

3 cups graham cracker crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish.

In medium bowl, combine butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs until well coated. Press half of mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Top with chocolate chips and then the marshmallows.

Sprinkle the remaining graham cracker mixture over the marshmallows and press down with a spatula.

Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, until the marshmallows are melted.

Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Have fun with the kids. They grow up quickly. Enjoy these moments.

Unique Gift Options for Your Camper

November 30, 2015 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving has come and gone. We’ve all had our fair share of leftovers. Now, holiday shopping begins. Black Friday…Cyber Monday… where do we get the best deals? While we all brainstorm what to buy, some of the best choices cannot be purchased by standing in line for hours, or by using a coupon code. Give your children a gift that will last them a lifetime.

A summer camp or teen program is an invaluable gift to give your child. Whether it’s through the friendships that are made at camp, engaging in community service, traveling to a faraway location, or a host of other choices, summer programs provide endless possibilities of growth and innumerable memories. Now is the perfect time to contact your local Tips on Trips and Camps advisor and discuss the options available.

Is your child already signed up for camp or a summer travel program? There are many gift options to consider this time of year that will continue your child’s excitement:

A camp sweatshirt or other clothing item
A camp blanket for those chilly nights
Travel accessories (toiletry kit, duffle bag)
Fun stationery
New water bottles or fans

Many camps have links on their websites to companies who sell items specifically for that camp. Go online and check it out. You’ll find fun options.

If you have not yet decided on a summer experience, the holidays are the perfect time for you to look at summer programs with your child. What better gift . . . than the gift of an amazing summer experience!

A Fun Way to Get Your Child to Write Home from Camp

June 29, 2015 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

Now that it is summer and kids are away at summer camp, parents often find themselves awaiting the arrival of the mail with the hope that there will be letters from camp. If they’re lucky, they may find some brightly colored stationary with the obligatory sentences “I am having a great time at camp”, “I miss you” or perhaps a truthful “The food stinks”. If any campers are like my son, you will be disappointed to find the envelope is empty or, at best, a quick one word “HI”. Many camps have rules that campers must send home 2-3 letters per week, but what is in the letters is not monitored, much to the dismay of us parents.

It’s exciting to think that campers are having such a great time playing sports, waterskiing, hiking, creating art projects or working on a performance that they don’t have time to write. But, as parents, we long to get a glimpse into their life at camp. I have some help to offer.

One of the best things I ever did while my kids were away at camp was to send them a questionnaire, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope to send it back. Much like the check-off stationary, I formulated questions for them to answer. When they were younger, the questions would be a bit simple where they could circle the answers. Such as, “Circle the activities that you have tried this week” and I would list ones that I know are offered, like Swimming, Boating, Tennis, Dance, Nature etc.

As the kids got older I looked for some fun and creativity asking “What is the funniest thing that has happened at camp so far?” or “What new foods have you tried?” I liked to ask the names of the campers in their bunks and where they are from, or asking them to draw a picture of the bunk and where is their bed.

Each summer I would come up with new questions and, without fail, I would get these letters back. My kids had fun answering the questions and I heard about experiences I may not have.

Have fun with it!

Camp Prepares Children for College

February 13, 2014 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

As a young mother, I was often given the age-old advice “Cherish every moment. They grow up so fast.” What an understatement! As I now prepare myself for the emotional task of sending my daughter to college, I am so glad that I not only cherished every moment, but that I gave her many moments that she will cherish for a lifetime.

Sending a child to college parallels sending a child to sleepaway camp for the first time. It is an emotional rollercoaster of anxiety, excitement, pride, indecision and ultimately pure joy! I find myself looking back to my daughter’s first year as a camper and remembering the changes she went through in just a few short weeks. Her strength, independence, curiosity and willingness to try new activities was astounding. Whether it was waterskiing for the first time, or climbing the rock wall or performing in the camp theatre production, she participated in new activities each year and gained incredible confidence through these opportunities.

Now I have the confidence in knowing that wherever she goes to college, she will be an independent leader and not only strive for excellence in her studies, but also take advantage of all the extracurricular opportunities that are available.

I have spoken with many parents who feel the same way. Their child may not have been to overnight camp, but perhaps went on a community service trip, a language immersion experience, a wilderness adventure or an academic enrichment program. Whatever the experience, these parents feel that some form of summer program, away from home, helped prepare their child for a successful transition to college.

My advice to young parents is to absolutely cherish every moment but to also give your children opportunities that will allow for personal growth to prepare them for college and beyond.

The Benefits of a Camp Visit

April 2, 2013 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

I recently was touring colleges with my daughter when it dawned on me how similar college touring was to visiting camps. Seeing the inside of the buildings, touring the grounds and meeting with current students gave me a sense of calm when visualizing where my daughter may be living when she leaves home. I also had so much excitement at knowing that she will be experiencing unique opportunities and activities.

Camp visits give parents unique opportunities to see the facilities, meet the camp Directors and staff, while seeing current campers engaged in their activities. Each child, when thinking about attending a sleepaway camp, will have unique ideas about what is important to them. Perhaps it is necessary to have a riding stable, or a ropes course, or multiple athletic fields. Is it preferable to be on a lake, or to have a swimming pool at the camp? What is the condition of the tennis courts? Are they clay or har-tru? Also important are the conditions of the bunks. How big are they? Are there bathrooms in the bunks? Is there a shower house? Each parent, and child, has a different order of importance regarding facilities of course, visiting a camp is not always possible, depending on schedules and timing. Many camp websites now have “virtual tours”, which are helpful or photos/maps of the camp layout.

With summer 2013 approaching quickly, now is the time to schedule tours if your child is thinking about camp for 2014.

Email and Blogs and Photos…oh my!

July 1, 2012 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

Comic by EDGE CITY by Terry & Patty LaBan

We’ve packed up the car, loaded their backpacks with snacks, driven to the bus, the airport or directly to camp and had our tearful goodbyes. Now what? Rush home and turn on the computer, of course. In the computer age, our children are never completely out of sight anymore. It is expected that camps provide some form of immediate gratification to satisfy parents’ curiosity. Beware, however, of the emotional trap these services provide.

Every summer I hear of parents who see pictures of their children at sleepaway camp who “look sad”, or a picture of a bunk that looks messy (as if they should always be as clean as they are on visiting day). Parents need to understand that the photographer is taking candid shots and there is no way to include the context of the pictures in the photo. Perhaps they just got through playing soccer and are tired or maybe they just sneezed.

My daughter just left on a community service trip to South America. I, like every other parent, want to know what she is doing at every moment. The occasional blog or email from the program provides exciting information and leaves me yearning for more! However, I know that the more time the program leaders are spent blogging, the less time they are engaged with the teenagers who are traveling.

I have come to realize over the 8 years that my children have been at overnight camp and now, with my daughter on her teen summer adventures, that, while the pictures, blogs and emails are exciting, nothing compares to the hours of conversation that we will have when they return. The personal experiences they share, camp songs they sing, photos they have taken themselves and the smiles on their faces are priceless.

Learning Life Lessons through Once-in-a-Lifetime Experiences

June 13, 2012 by Ellen Blum Leave a Comment

Perhaps your child has become “too old” for sleepaway camp. Maybe they’ve never been to an overnight camp at all. Whatever the circumstance, this summer you are looking for an experience that will teach them “life skills”, respect, leadership, teamwork. Where to begin…

Is it possible to gain responsibility, respect and leadership skills while having an amazing, fun summer? It is not only possible, but unquestionable.

Choosing the right summer program can be challenging. It is important to narrow down the choices by interests and then find the program that will provide an unforgettable summer, and teach values and lessons to last forever.

On a wilderness adventure, teens not only experience the exhilaration of exploring the great outdoors through a variety of activities, but gain leadership skills, trust in their peers, a sense of accomplishment and self-reliance. A teen tour demands compromise while working with a large group of peers. Knowledge is gained while visiting museums, historical sites and national treasures. Community service trips allow teens a chance to selflessly give of themselves to help others in less fortunate circumstances. It is quite humbling to experience, first hand, the challenges other people face. Sailing adventures provide an opportunity for teens to be leaders, work as a team and master problem-solving skills while living on the water. These are only a few examples of the many options available to teens.

Most importantly, all of these experiences give teenagers an opportunity to step away from the pressures of school and enjoy their summer. They will meet new friends, have unique experiences and gain important skills while having so much fun.

There are certainly a variety of ways to gain “life skills”. However, if one enjoys the process of learning these skills they will internalize them and in turn those skills will become a part of that person, and they will last a lifetime.

Experts on Overnight Camps & Trips for Kids and Teens

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